- You can go up to any person anywhere and say “Hey where ya from?” and it’s an instant conversation starter! Trying to perform a mind meld (http://www.physorg.com/news199424641.html) before introducing yourself as previously suggested should not be attempted unless you’re actually a Vulcan.

- When a hostel is $3 per night, do not expect the luxuries of a $4 per night hostel.

- Fear of malaria back home is highly overrated. For most cities on the tourist track it’s not an issue!

- Going on a trip soon? Need malaria pills? Don’t have health benifits? I sell to you, cheap cheap! (I’m serious…i have a crapload I will need to get rid of!)

- If your a teenage boy in Saigon at the local rollerskating rink, you’re only cool if you’re skating in sync with at least two other teenage boys…all holding hands…always going backward…at full speed. Facing forward skating is only for silly Canadian tourists that don’t know how to skate properly.

- People in Cambodia wear full face helmets while on mopeds (with brand names like “Lucky”), however their passengers do not get helmets. People in Vietnam always make sure all passengers have a helmet (except children under the age of 6). However it is a very thin (and sometimes hot pink!) piece of plastic that covers only the top of your head. I’m pretty sure it would do more harm than good in an impact as it shatters and creates more fragmentation lol

- The Temples of Angkor do not have wifi

- The Temples of Angkor are absolutely amazing otherwise

- In Phenom Penh the ratio of tuk-tuk and moto drivers to tourists is at least 2:1. The path to true will power and patience is by playing the fun game of always smiling and saying, “No thank-you!” every time you’re asked if want a ride (and it’s always for a special price of course). You are asked every 10 feet traveled by foot and every 50 feet while on one of the tuk-tuks or motos!

- As we consciously control our bodies and thus all the atoms and sub-atomic particles that we’re made of, then that makes us their god! Yes my minions of carbon atoms…I demand more sacrifices of virgin quarks…or face my wrath of eating McDonalds!!

- For some actually interesting quantum mechanics trivia: When the LHC achieves full operation, the energy of the protons will be about 360 mega-joules, equivalent to the energy of an aircraft carrier moving through the ocean at a speed of 20 knots. And all that energy is concentrated in a beam that’s thinner than a frail bit of thread.

- 1lb of frozen yogurt (6 different flavours, loaded with 8 different toppings and for only $3.50!) is never a good idea. It’s a GREAT one hahah

- After kicking out geckos falling into one’s bed (for refusing to be little spoon), they will climb to a corner of the wall and proceed to make screaching noises randomly throughout the night. Oh to know the hurt heart of a rejected reptiles misplaced love!

…the things we learn while traveling!

As with most southeast asian countries, it’s packed full of mopeds. Hardly anyone has cars and that’s a good thing because if they turned all the moped into cars there would be gridlocked traffic everywhere at every time!

It’s sidewalks are usually crowded with these parked 100-125cc bikes, so often you walk on the road. Traffic rules don’t really exist, and I’ve ridden on xe oms (motorbike taxis) where more time is spent in the oncoming traffic lane than in the right one (makes for quite a ride!).  It’s all part of the thrill of taking these taxis. That and with 18 deaths/day in Saigon from accidents, well…you just sort of hope you have a good driver hahaha

There are no giant stores like we have back home. Strip malls with Foot Lockers and Future Shops don’t exist.  Instead, small 4x10m stores and restaurants line the sidewalks of  it’s city streets, it’s proprietors usually living in the floors above it.  Each store has a specialty and the specialties are usually grouped together along certain roads. Looking for lighting fixture? Head to the lighting fixture street! Want to add some decals to your moto? Head over there to the moto decal alley! It’s fascinating and such a stark contrast to our cities back home.

Its natural wonders aren’t as majestic as other parts of the world, but still have their own charm. Ha Long Bay with its thousands of limestone karsts and isles provides a beautiful backdrop of relaxation after exploring the MASSIVE Thien Cun cave, while Hoi An’s giant beach is a great place to relax (although prepare for old ladies to constantly try and sell you stuff and if you’re lucky have your chest stroked by an old toothless man if you’re hairy!) while waiting for A Dong Silk to finish your custom suits.

Making any sort of real money here is only possible if you are an owner of a business. If you are an employee, your wage is about $100-120/month (working 10hrs/day, 6days/week).  A shared single room in a larger house in Saigon takes over half of that, and the rest is spent on moto petrol and food. It’s interesting in the larger cities knowing people have the bare essentials and then you see a Bentley or Audi R8 drive by, the juxtaposition of affluence and poverty creating a most interesting scene. I can’t think of a single working employee Vietnamese I met that had actually been outside of Vietnam, as there’s just no way to actually save the money to do so.

Because of this, buying anything in the stores, or taking a moto taxi anywhere requires you to always start the haggling by dividing the listed price by 3 and never going over half the asking.  Even then, when it’s still certainly favourable to the local, they will make you feel like you’re ripping them off for not paying their massive markup as you’re a foreigner with (relatively) lots of money. You can’t really fault them for this hahah…but it is still annoying to constantly have to haggle for everything every time.

City nights in Vietnam are my favourite time. When evening comes the locals flock to the sidewalk and parks, setting up their small plastic chairs and tables, drinking their iced teas and coffees while eating from one of the many women frying up an assortment of meat and strange vegetables on their small coal fired bbq’s. It’s a nice scene to watch as the older Vietnamese are chatting and catching up with each other, while young couples in love hug and kiss atop their mopeds beside the park.

So although Vietnam hasn’t been my favourite country I’ve been to so far, it has certainly been fun. It’s provided me with an interesting perspective of a country that was war-torn for so many years and struggles to reboot it’s economy and global presence under its conservative communist regime.

Here’s a Vietnamese proverb I’ve seen that sums up this country’s philosophy quite well:

Duc toc bat dot

Go slowly and steadily and you will eventually achieve what you desire.

Here are some pictures from the volunteering and a few other random ones around Saigon.

Enjoy!

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Saigon is actually a really cool city, very diverse with a pretty wide spectrum of poor to very wealthy.  I’m looking forward to spending the time to get to know the city!

I’ll have some thoughts on Vietnam so far at some point this coming week but until then here are the pictures from Hanoi to Saigon and everything in between!

Enjoy =D

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Enjoy =D

Vietnam Click me for the facebook link Click me for the non-facebook link

I’m travelling with a buddy from uni for 20 days, starting in Hanoi (current location) and finishing in Ho Chi Mihn. After he leaves I’ll likely be backtracking a bit and do some kite surfing for a couple weeks before headed into Cambodia! I’m pretty psyched!

The flight from Toronto to Hong Kong today was also really neat because we basically flew north over Hudson’s Bay, Greenland and the North Pole of the Arctic before headed back south again toward China. Tons of cool glaciers and ice flows to see from the windows.

Neither Scott or I have slept more than a couple hours too so we’re pretty tired but we still managed to get out for some food and Hanoi beer (delicious) for $3.50 each which makes this my kind of place hahah our hotel is $10 a night each for an air conned room with lots of free stuff!

All I can say is, so far so good, Vietnam!

Pack:
You will likely fill what you have.  If you can manage with a 50-55L, take that. I had a MEC Ibex 65+ for my travels thus far and found it a bit too large and bulky, but the space was useful at times and it’s actually a great backpack too! Just picked up an Arc’teryx Axios 50.  Brand new model this year with some really nice features and a nice slim form.  I’ll update in a couple months with a review on how it is!

Day Pack:
Either get a waterproof/resistant day-pack or try and get one that can fit under your waterproof jacket when you’re wearing it. I just bought a Black Diamond BBEE Day-pack at MEC. Having one that you can easily roll up / compress to stuff into your main pack is useful which is why I went with this one.

Waterproofing Packs:
Most people just have pack covers. I’ve met one person that bought a bunch of drysacs (waterproof bags) and put everything in those inside his bag for organization and then didn’t need a cover. I personally like the pack cover (ensure it has a wrap around mid-strap or some way of fully securing both the top and bottom of the cover otherwise wind will just rip it off) as it also is useful for air transport (keeping all the outside straps contained and not getting tangled/ripped off), for buses where the hold is really dirty and it just gets the cover muddy instead of the pack, and for sketchy pick pocket places to prevent access to your zippers.

Waterproofing Yourself:
Quickdry pants and underwear, light waterproof jacket shell and waterproof shoes are all good things.

Clothing Inventory and Layering for warmth:
Layering your clothes for warmth is key. Here’s what clothing I have:
- 3x Socks for warm weather (WrightSock Double Layer Cool Max)
- 1x Socks for cold weather (WrightSock Double Layer Warmth)
- 2x quick dry boxers ($10 per and worth every penny)
- 2x quick dry underwear for hiking/running
- 1x thermal long underwear (merino wool stuff…icebreaker 200 is what i have i think)
- 2x long pants (I’m not a fan of jeans, I just have some gray ultra tough cargos, Prana Stretch climbing pants, that are amazing and dry very quickly and then another pair of really light Royal Robbinn’s khakis that are backups, but almost never wear)
- 1x shorts
- 1x swim shorts
- 4x tshirts (might want to get one or two quickdry easily sink washable ones)
- 2x collared shirt (one long sleeve, one short)
- 1x front zip sweatshirt (patagonia better sweater…i have this, not worth the money but still nice lol)
- 1x ultra compressible synthetic fill jacket (Arc’teryx ATom Lt for $200, just got this, should be great but haven’t tried it yet)
- 1x waterproof jacket shell (Marmot Precip, not a bad jacket, but not the best out there by any stretch)
- 1x gloves and tuke (not necessary, but i keep these anyways for any really cold nights)
- 1x thermal long sleeve top (I don’t have one of these, but would have been useful a few times)

So for me the thermals and warm socks came out when it got really cold (nights in NZ) and the synthetic jacket is a great addition too. It’s not a ton of extra weight to carry for any cold evenings you might run into and it’s nice security to have.

Footwear:
Waterproof boots are key. However, if they’re waterproofed and breathable (highly recommended), it will lose the waterproofing after about 2 months and require re-spraying. I had the Merrell Moab Gore-Tex XCR Trail Shoes. Great low-cut hikers, and not terrible for warm weather. You’ll run across many other Canadian guys with these hikers! Also had some Teva Sandals as well.

However, as I like to run, for this next part of the trip I’m actually just switching to only some running shoes and going to buy some flip-flops. They won’t be waterproof but I think my wanting to go for runs outweighs that. You might want to take some club-acceptable shoes if you plan on going to nice nightclubs and stuff, but that’s your call, I don’t as it’s just more weight and I shouldn’t be spending that much money on drinks!

Cell Phone:
If you have a quad-band cell phone, take it.  Really useful for meeting up with people via text and making calls.  You can also get some awesome long distance plans with the pay-as-you-go sim cards around the world. (Was paying $0.03/min to Canada from Oz)

Zip Lock Bags:
These are your best friend. Make sure to pick up some of these and have them in your pack, great for waterproofing any electronics or important documents.  Don’t have a binder or crap with all your travel papers/passport in it, just throw them into a zip-lock and you’re good to go, and it takes up the minimum amount of space possible.

Sleeping bag vs liner:
Never had a use for a sleeping bag except when I was overnight camping in NZ. Waste of space otherwise. Silk liner came in handy on a few occasions, so I found worth it as it takes up next to no space.

Sleeping Pad:
I have a small 3/4 thermarest that I have in my pack. Came in handy a few times for hostels (brutal beds and sleeping on the floor) and all the time while camping. I’ll be bringing mine along for the rest of my travels again. Not essential by any means, but a nice to have if you have the space. A lot of people have the foam pads, they are massively bulky but also dirt cheap.

Bug Spray:
Always have some deet handy hahah…

Guide Books:
Usually useful, but a lot of hostels have them, so not really necessary to buy and carry around for every country. I got into the habbit of just writing down what people told me about and would do that. Would usually spend a couple hours in the hostel going over them if they were avialable. Having said that, I have electronic versions of A LOT of countries. If you’re interested in access send me an e-mail.

Music:
Travel speakers are amazing and are great for hostel rooms, long journeys, days at the beach and any other time! I have the iHome IHM9 ($15 at walmart i believe) and they last forever on a set of batteries. 4xAA’s, half decent sound, and bulletproof. Battery life is crucial for speakers, and I’ve found these speakers literally go like 100+hours before you need to change them (you’ll hear bass distortion with high volume when the batteries are running low).

Misc:
- First aid kit with lots of advil, band-aids, gravol, iodine disinfectant wipe packets and pepto bismal chewables
- Headlamp is definitely useful. Just got a Petzl Tikka XP 2 Headlamp, it’s awesome! Has some really cool features (redlight, lens diffuser) and is tiny.
- Leatherman multitool knife also useful, just remember to keep it in checked luggage….*shakes fist at Amsterdam Airport security*
- Soap holder with a string to put around shower heads is probably the most useful item I got that I didn’t realize would be hahah
- do not carry extras of any toiletries…you can get everything on the road
- mini-tripod with bendy legs to wrap around stuff (gorilla tripod) is great for self shots when no one’s around, just get one of the tiny non-bulky ones
- Also only take clothes you really like, otherwise you’ll probably never want to wear them (my brown mec sweater hahah…)

So there you have it! My thoughts thus far.  I’ ll probably have some more advice as I continue on this next portion of my trip and learn more from really extended traveling =D

Enjoy =D

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Later as I’m lying there staring at the clouds change from one shape to another I wonder, is it true? Do I really believe that this is my passion? I start to think about my answer.

I love learning about our world because it allows me to appreciate everything I see for the majesty and beauty contained within it. A thunder cloud isn’t something that makes you pissed off for having forgotten your umbrella, but rather it’s an amazing display of dust particles captured in tiny water droplets which have been travelling through incredibly powerful wind currents over thousands of kilometers, finally coming to a perfect moment where temperature, pressure and density causes it to cease floating in the heavens above and submit to the force of gravity, barrelling down through the atmosphere to finally land in an outstretched hand.

It’s trying to learn how to turn any moment into something positive by finding something in it to appreciate, to get your mind in a positive state, to create your own persistent euphoric utopia…

It’s chasing and creating a life with ever more and more perfect moments. Each adding just a few more notes to our staccato illusion of time.

My passion is to have done the best I could with the life I had, for myself and those around me. Bringing smiles to the faces of others, sharing and creating those euphoric moments of life’s perfection with them.

Contemplating our fragile mortality is frightening and it’s difficult not to allow that fear control my actions in life, but I’ve realized the moment you allow that…you cease to live.

I want to turn even the reality of my eventual death from something terrible to one of those moments. That even facing it, I’ll smile, and appreciate the microcosm of a life I had to appreciate the microcosm of my life…

I’ve had a blast this past 4.5 months.  I’ve met incredible people, done fantastic things and learned so much about myself, the world and life. I know I’m a different person than when I left (hopefully for the better hahah) and can’t wait to see what life will continue to send my way!

Oh, and I have my flight booked out to Vietnam for June 9th =)